By the trouncing at the hands of UNAM? I am asking this because I am a bit surprised by the anger at the loss in Mexico City. I can understand- though I don't agree with- folks getting upset at the embarrassing lopsided score. It's not surprising that the Rimando/Perkins thread is back or that folks are questioning Nowak's tactics and lineup choices. I have my questions as well. But I wonder if more is being vented here. Here's a quote from garbaggio from another thread that I see expressed in various ways by a number of posters: [quoteI just felt the need to rant after OD'ing on some of the Pollyanish sentiment in this and other threads. I was let down by the team / front office / league's failure to have the team ready for a major competition and the total lack of marketing for what, to me, will probably be our most significant rival until the playoffs (or until we face elimination if it happens before that).[/quote] Now being far away from DC I miss some of the team/fan interaction and I know from the posts of some folks here that that interaction is the most important aspect of supporting the team to them. I do know even this far from DC that there was a certain excitement on these boards at least in participating in the CCC and possibly that excitement was/is greater than what the team's excitement and therefore priorities are. For instance, if the team really really really had a priority of winning the CCC as much as winning the MLS Cup then I think they would have been more aggressive in the off-season in finding Nellie's replacement and tying down the various other loose ends on the team like: -signing a winger or possibly even persuading Stewart to stay one more year - deciding on David Stokes as opposed to giving him playing time early in the season. To me everything that Peter Nowak is doing says that he views the season just like he did last year: we'll see what we've got and make needed adjustments later after we've seen if certain players are viable. But do folks feel that that's either: - Not what the team's been saying? or - Not what you feel the team should be doing? Two very different questions.
We have four stars above our crest and an overflowing trophy cabinet. I don't tolerate 5-0 losses to anyone. ANYONE. So yes, the team let me down with the Pumas fiasco.
Yes it's plain obvious the team let the fans down. They knew this competition was coming up. They knew they needed to find a defender. They had the whole year to do it, and they didn't. Everybody loves the team just as much as before, but it's gotta be obvious looking at that starting lineup you have to wonder just what the h*ll they were thinking.
Let you down - everyone who is doing this let me down crap needs to get a life. My heart is broken after every loss and I am high as a kite after every win but this "let me down" crap is ridiculous. Some people are acting as though David Stokes came into their house and kicked their dog. They played a GAME - they lost - they play again tonight. The team was under extreme pressure due to scheduling, atmosphere, and simple fatigue. For all those who are ready to kill themselves b/c the team "let them down" - move out of your parents basement and get a life.
I think this negative crap just rose to the surface because it's the team's first real loss of the season. So there's quite a bit of repressed chicken little-ism showing in some people.
The ten years worth of joy and thrills this team has given me cannot be erased by 45 minutes of bad soccer. I think too many people are spoiled 'round these parts and are in serious need of a reality check.
Where did I say you can't be disappointed - hell, I said my heart was broken. But it is a long jump from disappointed to being "let down." "Let down" implies they owe you something personally. The only people who can be "let down" by the loss is the players themselves.
I agree this sky is falling attitude is weak, not as bad as the Monty Pythonesque "Buuuuurrrrnnnn Heeerrrrrrrr" attitude some people have toward some of the players and the coach.
Back on topic. In 1997 Bruce Arena and DC United loss at RFK in the CCC, the following year they won it. Let's concentrate on winning the 2005 MLS Cup so we can get back to the CCC.
Unreal... EVERYONE was let down. EVERYONE. Not ONE SINGLE PERSON was happy with that performance. Coaches, players, EVERYONE. Don't make it out to be the whole season, the reason for your existence, you lack of commitment to the team, whatever... It's one d*** game yes. But to say you're disappointed and then complain about others being disappointed too is just hypocrisy. Don't shoot the messengers when everybody agrees on the message.
I think the anger at this result is greater because a lot of people saw this game as a test of where MLS/US Soccer is on the world stage and are essentially blaming the players and Nowak for letting the country down. If we had lost 5-0 to Chicago, for sure there would have been a reaction, but not to the same degree. Added to that is the fact that, for some reason, a lot of people seem to have got it into their heads that since we won an MLS Cup last year, we should suddenly expect to be back in the glory days of 1996-1999. For example, look at the lukewarm reaction to our away win against Chivas, forgetting that as recently as last year we went most of the season without an away win. IMHO people need to get their expectations in order. I also think that many folks have no clue about what DC United were up against in this tie against Pumas. The win against Vasco in favorable circumstances, and a series of wins against out of shape EPL opposition gave us, I believe, an inflated sense of our own abilities. Against Pumas we came up against a team that was highly motivated and technically and physically better than we were. That was obvious to me just watching the first leg. Then, to go to Mexico and play these guys, in their house, at altitude, in front of a large, hostile crowd wanting payback for WC2002 - this was possibly the toughest game DC has faced. Ever. For some reason most posters don't seem to realize that. I don't read that much into the reaction other than that we picked up some bandwaggoners after last year who don't know how to react to a defeat like this, plus the usual BS overreaction and whining, which we always seem to have had. For sure there are some issues with the team and coach that this game has brought out. I think Nowak overestimates the influence of the 'team' approach over individual abilities and experience. You cannot just slot in rookies like Van Sicklen for games like this and think that it will not have an effect. Petke is clearly not able to organize the defence on his own. Esky has his limitations. And so on. But I expect Nowak to learn from his mistakes (people also seem to forget this is only his 2nd year as coach) and I feel like 3 games into the season is too early to make judgements.
Please - you have morons like garbaggio talking about "ratcheting back his support" for the team b/c of one lose. That is going so far overboard it is ridiculous. If that is the stance some people want to take after one game - they honestly need a life. If your world is so centered on a team - you need help. I personally believe the players gave it all they had until the energy was drained out of them by the altitude and smog. God, Gomez was panting like a dog after 10 minutes. All the players owe me is effort - and they gave that. Just on this one night it was not enough - so to cry Ben Olsen personally let me down is a joke. Again - disappointed does not equal let me down. In order to let you down it implies the players owe you something personally.
I was not let down. I didn't like the result, but I was not let down. Do not presume to speak for me.
I think people are talking around each other here. Your sentence above about hipocrisy -- I don't think that's what's going on. The question that's being asked in this thread isn't "are you disappointed?" The question that's being asked in this thread isn't even "are you really really REALLY disappointed?" Instead, the question that's being asked in this thread is "do you feel like you're owed something by the team, and the team failed to live up to its obligations to you?" IOW, "let you down" = "failed to meet an obligation to you." I suspect that some people here are reading "did the team let you down?" as "are you REALLY disappointed," and replying with "YES!" And I suspect that other people here are reading "did the team let you down?" as "did they fail to meet obligations to the fans?" and are seeing the "YES!" responses and thinking "that's absurd."
You said the players owe you effort. Then you said in the last sentence they don't owe you something personally. I think it's clear most of the players gave it their ALL. Most people aren't denying that I believe. The brass and coaching staff owe us putting together a team. And based on that lineup despite all offseason and $ and an SI spot to correct the defensive deficiency, they let everybody down including themselves. Or at least I would hope they feel that way and aren't arrogant enough to feel otherwise.